LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – Wolfforth\u2019s Zach Odom and Idalou\u2019s Teagan Chatfield are both headed to the Junior Olympics in Alabama next month to compete in rifle for South Plains Precision Shooters.
They have competed together for a few years now and say they have grown to be more than just teammates.
\u201cShe\u2019s my best friend,\u201d Odom said. \u201cZach is definitely my best friend. We\u2019re both there to support each other, tell each other when we did something wrong, and it\u2019s a good dynamic,\u201d Chatfield said.
This is Odom\u2019s first time qualifying. He will use a .22 caliber single-shot rifle to shoot at a target 55 inches from the ground that is 50 meters away, on an outside range.
He says the biggest challenge will be adjusting to a new range.
\u201cMy goal for this is to shoot and be able to read the wind and just get a good feel of the range because I\u2019ve never been to the range in Alabama. So, just learning how to read the wind and shoot the best I can,\u201d Odom said.
Chatfield will join him in the smallbore competition in Talladega, and she\u2019ll also compete in the standing-60 shot timed air rifle match in Anniston, AL. She has qualified before, so she knows what to expect and what she wants to do differently this time around.
\u201cProbably just going in knowing that I\u2019ve qualified and I deserve to be there and I can do the best of my ability\u2026 just going into it with a better mental approach,\u201d Chatfield said.
And when it comes to advice, she\u2019s keeping it simple.
\u201cJust don\u2019t overthink it at this point. Just untie the vine and don\u2019t let go,\u201d Chatfield said.
There\u2019s also more to the sport than many people realize\u2014from equipment that can be adjusted down to the smallest detail.
\u201cEverything here moves and can be fine-tuned to fit the shooter well,\u201d Odom explained.
These athletes even have specialized shooting suits that help keep them steady.
\u201cEvery part of your body moves whether you\u2019re thinking about it or not, and that can affect your shot. It can change it from being a 10 to a 9,\u201d Odom said.
Chatfield says the sport deserves more recognition for the work it takes.
\u201cPersonally, I don\u2019t think it gets enough credit for as much effort as athletes put into it, as much mental and physical effort that it takes,\u201d she said.
Their team may be small, but the friendship behind it has made a big difference\u2014especially for Odom.
\u201cI sort of reached a place where I felt like I didn\u2019t really have any friends, and coming into 4H, I realized that these are some of the closest people I\u2019ve gotten to grow with and know\u2014and honestly, if I could go back and do it all again, I would,\u201d Odom said.
This may be an individual sport, but Odom and Chatfield agree that having your people with you matters when the pressure hits.
\u201cBecause when you\u2019re all alone looking at that score sheet, it can kind of get\u2014it can get in your head, so to say. And just having the people there to support me and push me further than I could have ever gotten on my own,\u201d Odom said.
Their smallbore competition in Alabama starts on April 8. Teagan will also shoot in Anniston on April 11.
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